AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A knock on the door interrupted her concentration.
Ava dropped the bag on the counter and stalked toward the entryway to her home. She had no idea who would be calling on her when she was off duty. This was her personal time, and every wolf knew to respect it.
Ava’s office was open for her pack members for two hours minimum most days, and today was no exception. Following the incident with the tripwire, the healers had recommended she take it easy. And she had, honestly.
Kind of.
When the door revealed the Raeth himself, Ava startled. He was probably here to twist the knife over what had happened at the gym, but she wasn’t complaining. If he’d taken the liberty to come to her, that was just as well. Earning his trust was essential if she wanted to gain access to his clan lands, and she still needed to desensitize herself to a Raeth’s presence.
Apparently, she took too long to greet him. Leaning forward, he cupped a hand to his mouth and prompted, “This is where you say ‘Hello Remmus, how nice of you to visit’. Go ahead.”
The wide smile that dimpled his cheek was quickly becoming familiar, and when he looked at her expectantly, she temporarily forgot to be snide to him.
“Hello, Remmus.”
“Nice of you to visit?”
“No.” And then, she added, “Ice pick to the throat.”
A bark of laughter erupted from him, which caught Ava off-guard, but made her soul feel a little lighter.
“Your place smells like heaven.”
“If heaven smells like pies and cupcakes, count me in,” Ava quipped.
She was letting herself enjoy the way they fell into easy conversation and made a mental effort to pull herself back from the edge. Inside her chest, her wolf whined, eager to play fetch with the man opposite her.
Traitor.
Ava realized resistance was futile. “Do you want to come in?”
“Why, Ava, you’d compromise your virtue for little old me?” Remmus’ hand went to his chest as though the very thought was wicked. “Of course I’ll come in!”
And then, the Raeth brushed past her and headed straight for the kitchen. Shutting the door with a bit too much force, she stalked after him. Remmus had frozen in the doorway to her kitchen, wide green eyes fixated on the bounty of baked goods sitting on her counters.
“Woman.” The seriousness of his voice gave her pause. “You are Fate’s gift to the world.”
“I like to bake.”
“You don’t say?”
The shy chuckle that threatened in her throat escaped, delighting the male who’d finally snapped out of his trance. Feeling awkward, her fists beat once against her thighs before she remembered she was the beta of one of the largest wolf packs in North America, one of the original werewolves, and more than capable of holding her own against anyone—Raeth or not.
Remmus hopped up on her counter and licked his lips while staring longingly at her baked creations. Ava instantly took offense.
“What are you doing?”
He cocked his head. “Sitting. Do you call it something else where you’re from?”
“No, we call it being impolite to put our butt on someone else’s counter.” She rolled her eyes, then threatened, “Over the head with a rolling pin.”
“I’m certain my Keebler elf friends would disagree,” he retorted. “I’d theorize that they get on counters all the time. Short legs and all.”
“In the kidney with a paring knife.”
“Ouch.”
Ava shoved at him mercilessly, intent on getting him off her counter. When he finally relented and hopped down, he smoothly sat in one of her kitchen stools with a seductive smirk and waited for her to speak.
